[74], In October 2015, the contents of Brennan's personal AOL e-mail account were stolen by a hack and posted on WikiLeaks. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. It was nothing short of "treasonous". [1][3][4] Previously, he advised Obama on foreign policy and intelligence issues during the 2008 election campaign and presidential transition. [84], In December 2018, Brennan tweeted that Trump should prepare for the "forthcoming exposure of your malfeasance & corruption." However, Brennan withdrew his name from consideration because of opposition to his CIA service under President George W. Bush and past public statements he had made in support of enhanced interrogation and the transfer of terrorism suspects to countries where they might be tortured (extraordinary rendition). "[94][95], On August 19, Brennan told the host of NBC's "Meet the Press" that he was considering legal action to prevent Trump from doing the same to others. Not only were Trump's comments "imbecilic", he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. [12] Brennan was approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 5, 2013, to succeed David Petraeus as the Director of the CIA by a vote of 12 to 3. National Security Advisor, Strategic Comm. ", "On Whether Bin Laden Was Armed, Here's What Officials Said", "The Ethics and Efficacy of the President's Counterterrorism Strategy", "Top U.S. Security Official Says 'Rigorous Standards' Are Used for Drone Strikes", "White House in first detailed comments on drone strikes", "ACLU Credits White House for Drone Strike Transparency, but Says Program Still Unlawful", "Who will drones target? John O. Brennan is part of the Baby boomers generation. In 1980 he was awarded an M.A. While admitting that the actions of the CIA officers were "abhorrent", worthy of "repudiation", and had, at times, exceeded legal boundaries Brennan stated the CIA had also done "a lot of things right during this difficult time to keep this country strong and secured". As for lying, John Brennan has his own integrity gap issues. However, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul began a talking Senate filibuster prior to the vote, citing Obama and his administration's use of combat drones against Americans, stating "No one politician should be allowed to judge the guilt, to charge an individual, to judge the guilt of an individual and to execute an individual. Michael Hastings’s Tweet May 31, 2013. Republican Patriots: Where are you??? Later at a press conference on that date Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that President Trump was considering removing the clearances of several of Obama's intelligence officials, including Brennan, saying, "The president is exploring the mechanisms to remove security clearance because they politicize and in some cases monetize their public service and security clearances. Obama twice nominated Brennan to serve as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. [1][6][22] He was a daily intelligence briefer for President Bill Clinton. Former CIA Director John Brennan testifies before the House Intelligence Committee, May 23, 2017. He was the first individual to rise through the ranks of the agency to become its director since Robert M. Gates did so in the early 1990s. In that capacity, Mr. Brennan directed both criminal and civil fraud investigations, computer crimes, debarment actions of federal contractors, and monitoring agreements with suspended contractors. [6] He speaks Arabic fluently. They are associated with a rejection of traditional values. Brennan’s tenure in the private sector as the president and CEO of the Analysis Corporation (2005–09) and chairman of the board of the nonprofit Intelligence and National Security Alliance was relatively short-lived. Corrections? Do you find it odd that almost up to the point that the Mueller report was released, John Brennan, former head of the CIA, said there would be other indictments?